User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
ups
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: March 17, 2015

Bottom Line:

Great amp. Very good for Jazz, Folk, Vocal music. It is not so good for rock, metal or other hard styles of music. Realy like the sound with AN speakers and Kenwood dp-5090 CD player.
If you want to buy it, you should not be a fan of low frequencies.

This is really a great amplifier. I bought it as an in between amp but this will stay. It just play what you feed it and give an enganging listening. Better than nait1 or 2 at half the price, you get even a new amplifer. I give it 5 stars for value even though i know many have to work long hours to afford. Again, it's a cracking amplifier.

After a 3+ year hiatus from audionervosa, I once again have entered the waters. For too long I had listening to "gear" and not the music. Part of my re-entry entailed putting a new system together. Previous kits I've owned cost in the 5 figure range, but this time I was looking for good sound for reasonable money.

After finding a local dealer who listened to my 40 year experience (or ordeal) in audio, he suggested the Brio3. I took his word and purchased it. Cut to the short, the Brio3 is an outstanding intergrated amp for relatively cheap money. No an ounce of the dreaded solid-state graininess I had heard so often through the years which drove me to tubes. The Brio3 images well and has excellent pace and snap. It is also very quiet over the 99 dB eff speakers I use.

After break in I had the opportunuty to engage in a 6 hour listening session. I was trying to determine whether my initial positive impressions would be dashed by listener fatigue. Such was not the case. I experienced no listener fatigue whatsoever.

Is the Brio3 perfect? No, nor should it be for be for its cost. Any sins the Brio3 commits are those of ommission. It lacks the control of a McIntosh MC-252 over the low bass and doesn't have quite the high frequency extension of the better tube amps. Yet one would not miss this if he hadn't already heard it. And maybe more importantly, the Brio3 does not offend on any manner I can detect.

The Brio3 a perfect component for a starter system along with the Rega Apollo and a pair of Ohm Microwalsh speakers.